Lord Sugar fired another candidate in the latest instalment of the BBC programme
22:01, 19 Feb 2026Updated 22:53, 19 Feb 2026
Lord Sugar has fired another candidate(Image: BBC)
The Apprentice’s Lord Sugar has fired another candidate after a tense boardroom scene.
The latest episode of the BBC series, which aired on Thursday (February 19), saw Roxanne Hamedi become the fifth hopeful to be shown the door. She was fired after a less than impressive turn as sub team leader in the task, but later claimed that she was an “easy scapegoat”, insisting: “I don’t think I deserved it.”
The instalment of the hit show saw the hopefuls tasked with creating a brand of bottled water, before selling live on social media and creating a TV advert.
Conor Galvin was the project manager on the losing team and with both the branding of the water carton and the TV advert leaving little to be desired, Rajan Gill and Roxanne were left joining him as the final three in the firing line.
Roxanne Hamedi has been fired(Image: Ray Burminston/PA Wire)
Conor was criticised for providing unclear instructions to his team and Rajan was held responsible for some grave errors in the pitch. However, with pharmacist Roxanne ultimately in charge of the branding as sub team leader, Lord Sugar’s firing finger was aimed firmly at her.
Speaking afterwards, she admitted: “It didn’t feel good to be fired, just because I didn’t think that I deserved to be. There was a lot going on that day and I feel like other people lacked accountability. So yeah, it wasn’t a nice feeling.”
“I just feel like there was definitely a lack of direction and leadership from the project manager, Conor,” she went on. “He said that he wants something bold and clean and I believe that’s what I delivered. So the instructions were very vague but I delivered what was asked for with clarity, simplicity and a creative touch.”
Roxanne thought Conor should have gone
Roxanne, founder of beauty brand Browtasia, felt Conor should have been fired, explaining: “Conor should have gone because he was the PM and I feel like he did throw me under the bus because I was just an easy scapegoat.”
Asked if she would have done anything differently, Roxanne said she’d had a cold during the task so was “not in the right frame of mind”. But she admitted she “could have fought more in the boardroom”.
She added that the BBC show had taught her “how to be resilient”, and that she “left with grace, dignity and my head held high, even if I didn’t get to say everything I wanted to”.
“But I do believe the universe has a bigger plan for me,” she added. “This isn’t the last that you’re going to see of me.”
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The Apprentice continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursdays at 9pm, with The Apprentice: Unfinished Business airing straight after on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.